25 Highest Rated Companies for Vacation & Paid Time Off

With the holidays coming up, you may already be thinking about vacation time. Maybe you’re wishing you hadn’t taken all your paid time off over the summer, or, like most Americans, you don’t even take most of the vacation days you get. A Glassdoor survey shows the average American employee only takes half of their vacation time, and when employees do take paid time off, 61% admit working.

If you’d like a better vacation policy, Glassdoor is here to help by identifying the 25 Highest Rated Companies for Vacation & Paid Time Off*, entirely based on benefits reviews shared by their own employees. Check out the full list:

What: Amgen is a biotechnology company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California.

Why: Employees say: You can start with three weeks vacation plus two shut downs over the Fourth of July and Christmas which provide great opportunities to spend time with family. Amgen employees say that “to start with 5 weeks is pretty amazing” and while this may be average by European standards, Amgen’s vacation & paid time off benefits are quite competitive by large U.S. company standards. Maybe the fact that employees say the benefits are “too good to be true” is why Amgen clocks in at number one.

What: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center, based in New York, NY.

Why: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s employees call out that there is lots of vacation time — they don’t pressure you to not take it. In some roles, the company’s employees can receive up to 20 vacation days, plus float holiday days, sick days and personal days and employees like that “nobody asks questions or makes you feel guilty for taking the time either which is a breath of fresh air.”

What: IKEA, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and with stores across the U.S., is a major retailer known for its inexpensive Scandinavian-style furniture.

Why: IKEA’s employees say: Starting from day one, full or part time employees can accrue PTO and vacation can be taken in one-hour increments. For example, if you only work 32 hours a week, you could use 32 hours of vacation to take a week off (instead of 40). Employees report they can get three weeks per year at start of employment, five weeks per year after five years of employment, and seven weeks per year after 10 years of employment. Maybe that’s why employees say: “Can’t beat it!”

What: The world’s largest search engine, based in Mountain View, CA, offers Internet services ranging from maps to news to shopping and everything in between.

Why: Google’s employees report vacation and paid time off policies are among the best in the industry. Employees say they can start off with three weeks of paid time off and can work their way up to five weeks if they stay with the company for five years. They also report they can take up to three months of unpaid sabbatical. Given that managers are good at “providing space to actually take allotted time off”, employees say they feel like they essentially have unlimited vacation.

What: Monsanto is an agricultural biotech company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that produces genetically engineered seeds and herbicides for farmers.

Why: Monsanto employees say they have “excellent vacation schedules and holiday packages”. In addition to being upgraded to 4 weeks PTO in the second full calendar year, workers report they can get an additional week off between Christmas and New Year.

Why: As a part of Salesforce’s “unbelieveable” vacation package, new employees report they can get 15 days of PTO along with four floating holidays and seven paid volunteering days. After two years, employees say they can get a month of PTO, and directors and above can have unlimited vacation days.

What: General Motors is an American manufacturer and distributor of vehicles headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

Why: General Motors offers a competitive vacation package, say its employees. PTO can start at 15 days and can increase periodically. Employees report they also get 16 paid holidays and unlimited sick time, and say “3 Weeks Vacation with an additional week off for Christmas (paid) is fantastic!”

What: Based in Issaquah, Washington, Costco is a major wholesale club operator, offering discounted prices on over 4,000 products, ranging from alcoholic beverages to fresh food to tires.

Why: At Costco, employees say they can start with two weeks of PTO, but every year they can also earn more vacation time – up to five weeks of PTO and 10 sick days. Workers say the company is “great with working around your schedule” and is very flexible with vacation days.

What: Capital One is a financial services company based in McLean, Virginia that is focused on consumer and commercial lending.

Why: Employees say the vacation policy at Capital One is “the best thing ever!” After 90 days on the job, employees state they can get four weeks PTO. Employees report they can also buy an extra week of PTO if they wish.

What: Ericsson is a global leader in communications technology and services headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with offices worldwide.

Why: Employees at Ericsson report they can get up to three weeks of vacation, plus one week of “kin care”, one week of sick days, six personal days, and one paid volunteering day. Employees also say you can sell one week of vacation each year.

What: Kaiser Permanente is one of the largest not-for-profit integrated health care management consortiums based in Oakland, California. It includes Kaiser Foundation hospitals, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and The Permanente Medical Groups.

Why: At Kaiser employees praise the “very generous vacation/PTO plan” and say vacation time is accrued based on years of service. Employees also report they have the ability to rollover unused vacation hours and sell upcoming PTO hours.

What: JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a multinational banking and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City.

Why: At JPMorgan Chase & Co, employees say the company provides “very good vacation benefits.” Employees report they can get four weeks vacation, three personal days and six sick days, and can also get nine holidays bank-wide.

What: Nokia is a global communications and information technology company based in Nokia, Finland with offices worldwide.

Why: Nokia employees say they get a “generous amount of time off.” After several years on the job, employees report they can accrue up to four weeks of vacation time per year, in addition to sick days and holidays.

What: Based out of Memphis, Tennessee, FedEx is a major global transportation provider, delivering over 3.5 million packages daily to over 220 countries.

Why: Paid vacation days can add up for employees at FedEx, who say the company is “very generous with their paid time off.” Employees say they start with two weeks of PTO, which goes to three weeks after the first five years, and four weeks after 10 years.

What: An innovator in cloud computing, data, Internet of Things, and PC solutions, this Santa Clara, CA tech company offers more than just its well-known processors.

Why: Intel employees report receiving 3-4 weeks of vacation each year. Employees say the company’s “paid sabbatical program is great” – the program can allow workers to take four weeks of paid time off every four years or eight weeks every seven years.

What: T-Mobile is a major U.S. phone carrier with headquarters in Bellevue, Washington.

Why: Employees say T-mobile offers “very good paid time off,” with three weeks of PTO possible in the first year along with nine paid holidays. T-Mobile employees say they can also increase time off allowances based on tenure so that by the time an employee works there for five years, they can be earning eight hours of time off each pay cycle.

What: Microsoft is a global tech company headquartered in Redmond, WA, that develops and sells computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services.

Why: Microsoft employees report they can receive three weeks of vacation time, two weeks of sick leave, and a number of floating holidays. Employees call out they like the “very nice and flexible” vacation benefits, and also appreciate that there is no waiting 90 days for these benefits to be available.

What: Liberty Mutual is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and specializes in car, home and life insurance.

Why: Employees at Liberty Mutual say the company has “one of the best vacation time off” policies. Employees report they can receive up to four weeks of paid vacation annually, by earning 1.5 or more days of time off a month. They can even carryover some unused time from year-to-year.

What: Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, Progressive is a leading auto insurance company in the United States.

Why: Employees praise the “excellent paid time off” benefits at Progressive, and report they can receive up to 3.5 weeks of earned time off in the first year. Employees say they can also bank up to eight weeks of PTO over time, with an extra week of PTO after five years.

What: Humana, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading healthcare company offering a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services.

Why: Employees at Humana say they appreciate the “fast PTO accumulation” policy, which can give them more than seven additional vacation hours after every pay period on top of their three weeks of PTO and paid holidays.

What: Eastman Chemical is a global speciality chemical company based in Kingsport, Tennessee that produces a broad range of products used in many items, including TVs, pacifiers and planes.

Why: Eastman employees state they receive “a pretty great amount of time off”. Employees say new hires can start with two weeks PTO and can reach up to five weeks vacation time as they progress in their career.

*Methodology: Glassdoor’s 25 Highest Rated Companies for Vacation & Paid Time Off report identifies companies with the highest vacation & paid time off benefits rating, according to benefits reviews shared by U.S.- based employees on Glassdoor. Companies considered for this report must have received at least 30 vacation & paid time off benefits ratings, and must have an overall company rating of at least 3.5 on Glassdoor, respectively, as of 9/29/16. Ratings on Glassdoor based on a 5.0 scale: 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied.